• New York Times, Thursday, June 1, 2006 11:45 AM

BBC World starts an ad campaign to introduce Americans to a 24-hour cable news network ready to rumble with CNN and Fox News Channel, The New York Times reports. The $1 million effort promotes the Beeb's arrival on cable and "is aimed not only at potential viewers but also at Madison Avenue, to stimulate demand for commercial time, and at other cable system operators," according to the Times story. "We hope very much this is the start of a series of deals," says Richard Sambrook, chief executive at BBC World. Ads carry themes like "News beyond your borders," and push the network's coverage as impartial and objective, enabling viewers to "see both sides of the story." Or, as reporter Stuart Elliot puts it: "In other words, 'fair and balanced,' but for real."

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